


In Which Egbert Overestimates Himself, and Dave Continues To Be A Raging Asshole (Or, goddammit John you need to learn how to pick a fight)

by GemmaRose



Series: Demonstuck [5]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Demonstuck, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:18:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2311001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Egbert. Hunter turned Demon at the hands of Dave Strider. By Demon law, he's part of the StriLonde hive now. But nobody ever said he would go quietly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Which Egbert Overestimates Himself, and Dave Continues To Be A Raging Asshole (Or, goddammit John you need to learn how to pick a fight)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Demonstuck](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/73352) by my-friend-the-frog. 



Your name is John Egbert, and you wish you had a weapon right now. You and your friends were all taught what to do if a teammate got turned, and you have no doubt that anyone but Jade would be more than happy to take your head off your shoulders. Right now, that’s sounding more and more like the best course of action. You’ve taken refuge in a public park bathroom, and though the stench is suffocating there’s nobody else around who you might attack.

Something hits the ground outside, too large to be a squirrel or even a possum. Somebody enters the bathroom, three somebodies if you’re counting the footsteps right. You’ve got no escape plan, no weapons, and you’re outnumbered at least three to one. You shift ever so slightly, fleetingly glad of your new sneakers which grip the plastic toilet seat with ease, and ready yourself to spring out at whoever opens the door. You’ll go down fighting, even if there’s next to no chance of you actually escaping.

“Give it up, Egdork.” Dave drawls, sending shivers down your spine. “Just come out of there and we’ll be heading on home.”

Dread settles heavy in your gut, and you nearly launch yourself over the door to grab him. Ripping his throat out sounds pretty appealing, but doing that would pretty well keep you from escaping, and what you need right now is to get away from here and find some hunters.

Dave takes your silence as you thought he would, and stalks over to open the stall door. Time seems to slow down at it opens, and then speed up again as you spring forwards. You knock over whoever was at the door (not Dave, you would know if you hit that thrice-damned Strider) and launch yourself towards the door using his body as a springboard. A hand wraps around your ankle, and you know it should be burning hot but it’s no warmer than your own skin. The tile floor rushes up to meet your face, and you howl in pain as your glasses shatter, shards digging into your eyelids. You can hardly see but you still know which way the door is, so you kick the demon holding you square in the face and scramble towards the exit. You run headfirst into a set of hard, sharp knuckles, and your foot slips on a paper towel that never made it to the trash can.

Dave laughs from directly above you, and you recoil from his touch as he tilts your head up. You can see his eyes now, burning with glee behind dark shades. “Now that wasn’t very nice, was it, John?”

You spit in his face, eyes still burning and watering from the remains of your glasses, and he pulls you up by the hair until you’re on your tiptoes.

“I was thinking of letting you off easy, but now I know what you need. You need to be taught a **lesson**.” he accents the last word by dragging your head down, forcing your torso to follow straight into his knee.

You feel something snap painfully, and blood spatters the grimy tile floor. He shoves you back into heavily muscled arms, and you can see his eyes flicker. “Don’t let him escape.” he snarls, taking off his shades to wipe them. You blink, and hear a quiet _plink_. Your eyelids are healing, pushing the glass out. Thank god.

“Nepeta repurrts that there are no hunters in the area.”

You almost snarl, but stop yourself. There’s no reason you should hate this girl for following her orders. Your hate needs to be reserved for the one who gives the orders, who turned you and violated you and has made your life a living hell.

“Good. Now get back to your watch, darlin’. I’m about to teach this dumbfuck a lesson.”

“Nepeta thinks Jawn doesn’t need lessons. Nepeta thinks Jawn is smart enough to know not to cross the Stripurrs again.”

You blink, vision clearing, and give her a look of slack-jawed incredulity which matches, well, pretty much every other face in the room.

“Oh, really?” Dave drawls, turning his burning gaze on her. “Well, how about you ask him, then?”

“Nepeta will.” she huffs, mouth pressed into a hard, flat line. “Jawn knows mew he has to answer to, right?”

She looks at you expectantly, and you grind your teeth. “I answer to Miss Umbrum.” you spit, ripping your arms free of the meaty hands holding them and lunging forwards. The shift is palpable, now there’s light and other demons aside from your prey. He matches your speed before you can land a punch, and in three strikes he’s gotten in close enough you can smell the blood on his breath.

“Wrong answer, John.“ he purrs, sidestepping your fist and jamming his elbow into the back of your neck. Your knees buckle, and you feel your head crack on the tile floor. Red spreads across half your vision, a pool growing over the grimy tile, and you distantly hear Strider say “Carry him. We’re going home.” before unconsciousness, mercifully, takes you.

\-----

The first few seconds of consciousness, you dare to hope you’re waking from an exceptionally awful dream. Then you try to stretch, and metal bites into your wrists. The air is comfortably cool, even without your jacket, but the concrete floor is cold through your jeans. There’s a pole at your back which feels like metal, and chains wrapped around your whole torso. If you can get your feet under you, maybe you can stand up and get a better look at your surroundings. The crates are only stacked two-high, so if you can just get your head up a few inches...

“Nepeta is pawsitively delighted that Jawn is awake.”

You startle, and the thick metal links pull painfully on your arms. “God, Nepeta. Don’t do that!” you snap, rolling your shoulders to make the chains settle.

“Is Egdork awake?”

The dark skinned Bajang stands and gives a little salute, which is absurdly adorable. “Nepeta repurrts that Jawn is awake.”

“The blonde sex-bomb says the catgirl has done good. Now she can go hang out with Mr. sweats-a-lot.”

“Nepeta gently reminds Dave that Equius isn’t home from hunting yet.”

“Well, Dave thinks Nepeta could go hunt with her mate. The big boys have some talking to do.”

He smirks at you as he rounds the stack of boxes, and chills run down your spine. It doesn’t take a genius to know that talk isn’t too high on his to-do list. Strider stops smirking after just a second, though, and your eyes flick to the Bajang girl. Her feet are planted firmly on the floor, arms crossed, and you’ve had a half-sister long enough to recognise a stubborn pout when you see one.

“Nepeta thinks Dave wants to be mean to Jawn.”

“Dave thinks the catgirl is being silly.” his tone is light, almost joking, but his eyes burn brighter and his teeth visibly sharpen. “ He just wants to make sure the new demon knows his place. Dave points out that if John angers the Alphas, they won’t have mercy on him.”

“Nepeta can teach him his place.” she huffs, shoulders set firmly. “Jawn will listen to Nepeta.”

“Dave wonders why the little demon thinks that.” Strider takes a step closer to you, and Nepeta gets in between you and the blond demon.

“Nepeta knows Jawn will listen to her, beclaws Jawn knows she is a furriend. Nepeta doesn’t want her furriends hurting each other.”

Strider looks from you to the Bajang a few times, smirk replaced by a scowl and glare which promise retribution, before finally sighing and rolling his shoulders. “Dave will leave the Egdork’s education to Nepeta, then, if she can make the dull beast listen.”

“Hey!” Nepeta shifts to bring her heel down on your leg before you can object further, and you wince only slightly as she salutes.

“Nepeta will repurrt on Jawn’s purrogress after tomorrow night’s hunt.”

“Dave will be awaiting the catgirl’s report in the common room.” he nods, then turns on his heel and vanishes around the stacked crates again.

She spins on her toes and beams at you, eyes almost literally sparkling. “Nepeta is pawsitively delighted to be allowed to teach Jawn!”

You groan and let your head hang. At least she’ll only talk your ear off, as opposed to Strider. You really don’t want a repeat of this morning. God, was it really just earlier today?

A hand pats your cheek, and you startle when you notice Nepeta’s face mere inches from yours. “The fearsome catgirl wonders if Jawn is paying attention.” she huffs, sitting back on her heels.

You shake your head. “Sorry. Got a lot on my mind.”

“Nepeta glady infurrms Jawn that he can think whatefurr he likes, so long as he doesn’t try anything stupid.”

You sigh and whack the back of your head against the pole. “I don’t wanna hunt tomorrow.” you blurt, looking up at her face. “I don’t want to obey Strider, I don’t want to be a demon.” your voice cracks a little at the end, the full reality of your situation hitting you. In the past 24 hours you’ve been electrocuted, beaten, violated, turned, kidnapped, and then beaten and kidnapped again. You’re exhausted, and cold, and hungry, and you just want to go home and sleep and wake up from this nightmare which has become your life.

Nepeta whines and shifts into a cat, climbing onto your lap and butting her head up under your chin, purring loudly. She shifts back still in your lap, curled up with her head on your shoulder and hands fisted in your shirt. "Nepeta thinks Jawn shouldn’t talk like that. Jawn is a Demon now, like Nepeta, and Nepeta won’t let him do anything stupid.”

You sigh and look resolutely at the wall. “Could you unchain me?”

“Nepeta cannot.” she smiles, rolling backwards off your lap and giving you a shit eating grin. “Jawn will have to wait until tomeowrrow to get up.”

“Fine, but don’t expect me to be acting all subservient to the Striders.” you huff, wishing you could cross your arms.

“Jawn will have to follow the rules of the Hive, so he should be sure to ask Nepeta what they are tomeowrrow.” she grins, standing up.

You close your eyes as she leaves, and curl your legs up to your chest. Your name is John Egbert, you are a Hunter of Poraia, and you will kill any demon who stands between you and your freedom.


End file.
